The Second Side
by SecondComing02
Summary: Growing up. So simple, yet so painful. Blood, sweat and tears. Every drop shed is another step to adulthood. Trials and tribulations, these make you who you are. Follow Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase as they face the world hand in hand; side by side; back to back. And remember, there's no such thing as a smooth mountain. Mortal AU, Rated T for Language.


**The Second Side**

 _Chapter 1: The beauty of Ice-cream_

 _Disclaimer: All mentioned properties in this story belong to their respective owners._

"Mommy, I want that one!" Tapping on the glass case a few times, a long-haired woman walked over and bent down in front of her child.

"Well, I thought you said you wanted Honeycomb a minute ago, sweetie. Which is it? Peppermint or Honeycomb?"

Wow. Talk about tough choices, huh? The kid scratched his jet-black hair, ruffling it slightly. Oh, why was the world so cruel? He just wanted both flavours, but no, you can only get one!

Stupid reality.

The man working at the counter, who couldn't have been older than 16, smiled kindly down at the child. "Here's a deal, kiddo. I'll give you both for the price of one. How 'bout that? In return, you gotta promise me something."

His eyes sparkled at the prospects of both flavours. What? Seriously? Yes, please. Anything. Come on, I just want my ice-cream!

The mother stood up and waved whilst mouthing, 'No, you don't have to', but the server shook his head at the woman.

"You gotta promise me to always be nice to your mommy. She already works really hard for you, okay?" A kind smile graced his features as the kid pouted and looked at the floor. Aww. How adorable.

Chuckling, he scooped out one round ball of sweet, golden honeycomb goodness and another round ball of green, frosty peppermint delight.

He handed over the large wafer cone as the mother grabbed her purse. "Alright then, two scoops, is it?"

But the man stopped her there. "Don't bother. Don't really need it. Go on, eat it up!" That last bit was at the kid now admiring the contrasting emerald and syrup brown ice-cream scoops in his hand. Wow. Giving it a great big lick, he smiled and giggled  
up. "Mommy, it's really good! Try some, mommy!"

The woman smiled down, a shine of joy at the child's glee in her eyes. Oh, if she could take a photo of that moment, she'd plaster it all over town if she could have her way. _Just look at him!_

But nevertheless, she pulled out a $10 bill before placing it on the counter and taking the boy's hand without a word.

Despite the server's protests, she left the store with a simple grin and wave. _Another satisfied customer._ The server crossed his arms and walked into the back room as the manager shouted, "Hey, Percy! Come here, I need you to lift this for me!"

He was greeted by a slightly plump and short woman attempting to load tubs of cold strawberry ice-cream into the large industrial fridge. On the front was a blue sticker with turquoise writing, "Frosty Fun". Yeah, yeah. Go ahead. Laugh at the cheesiness.

However cheesy it was, one couldn't deny how popular it was. Often, Percy'd have to come back straight from school, swap out with another employee called Rachel and get straight to the counter. Even with tonnes of customers, thanks to Percy's generosity  
when it came to their target demographic, little kids, they didn't rake in as much profit as they could. Sure, they weren't rolling in it, but they had more than enough to get food on the table and shoes on their feet.

The front windows meant that a large dose of sunlight gave the room a yellow tinge and basked in the warmth that was the sun. It gave the place a healthy glow and meant it always enjoyed great weather in summer and spring.

Percy's mom was, all in all, a genius for buying out this place. Comfortable profits, homey environment, great customers, what else did you want from a job?

The speakers suddenly began to play a classic Marron 5 track, 'Sugar'. And considering where he was, it was a pretty good song choice. He was good at making playlists, wasn't he?

Humming softly along to Adam Levine's impressive voice, he wiped down the bench and some tables to where they were sparkling clean. Even though they only sold ice-cream and smoothies or anything else involving ice-cream, the layout of the shop was a stereotypical  
American diner, like the ones in movies. You had your counter and barstools, but also the tables and chairs lining the side and turning the corner. Straight out of the pictures.

People would often call this place their "Second home" considering how much time they would spend here. And Percy and Sally Jackson were more than happy to accommodate for as long as they needed.

Turning off the jukebox, which was connected to the surround sound system installed, Percy walked up to the sign and switched it around to 'closed'. We're good for today.

As Sally came out of the back room, coat on and ready to go, Percy undid his apron and hung it up on the hook next to the shelf containing the syrups they used to make flavours in their ice-cream.

"Ready to go home? We're packing up early today. Not much else to do."

He merely nodded and popped his earphones in as Sally walked out the back entrance to the car waiting patiently in the carpark.

The door to their blue Toyota Corolla opened and they both clambered in. Silently, Sally popped on the news and traffic reports before pulling out and beginning the long road home.

"So, you excited for tryouts tomorrow? It's been a long time since you picked up a tennis racquet."

"Mom, I played last week against Luke. I'll be fine." He scowled softly and placed his hands behind his head. Tomorrow was Saturday, he could afford a bit of downtime.

"I know, but is that enough? I mean, sure Luke's the captain and whatnot, but you'll need to practise young man, if you wanna get to his level. You know, he used to stay back on the court after-"

"After everyone left and he'd practise for another half-an-hour. Yes, I know, mom. You tell me all the time."

Sally slapped her son's arm lightly before muttering, "I only say it because he could be an inspiration. I heard he's got a girlfriend from his mom. Do you have one?"

Ouch. Low blow. Thanks mom. Percy merely shook his head and looked at the floor of the car.

Sensing it was a bit of a sore subject, Sally quickly added on, "Plus he's got a 3.5 grade point average… And he plays in bands and things."

Percy only sighed. Mentally, Sally slapped herself. She knew he hated being compared to Luke. But she felt like it was the only way he could motivate himself. After all, the reason he started playing tennis and doing half of the things he does was to  
show up Luke.

Inside, Percy's guts were twisting. It wasn't as if he hated Luke Castellan. Nah, they were best friends. It's just that the spotlight was always on him. Getting shoved to the side. By teachers, girls, parents. People naturally look to those standing  
taller. And Percy couldn't blame them.

Luke was a good guy. He played the guitar and drums, had good grades, was captain of the tennis team as well as always hooked with chicks.

What was even more frustrating was that he didn't seem to have a single bad bone in his body. He couldn't raise a finger against anything in this world. And he never needed to. The world would always welcome him and kick out the rest.

It wasn't that Percy shouldn't be angry at Luke, it was that he couldn't.

He's got siblings that give him a run for his money, every kid in the school knows his name, etc. Percy has a single mother, has to work because their last employee died in a car crash, has only a few friends.

His mates, Will and his boyfriend, Nico as well as the Stoll twins all secretly felt the same way. How do you beat perfection?

Well, Will and Nico were constantly sucking face, so they didn't really care. They just cared about how far they could shove their tongues down each other's throats. The Stoll twins were most likely thinking about their next prank and victim. Or their  
next bookie run. They were the gambling kings of the school.

But as they climbed out of the car in an awkward silence thanks to Sally's failed attempt to rouse Percy, Sally signed in misery. Percy looked over and for a brief second, his vibrant bright green eyes met with her faded emerald ones. But as soon as they  
connected, they broke apart and looked in the opposite direction.

"Percy, I'll get dinner started. You don't have to do it this time…" Her voice trails off towards the end as the sadness in her voice leaks through.

Well, good job Percy. You made your mom feel bad. Come on, off to the kitchen with you.

"Nah, I'll do it. You do what you want tonight. It's my turn, anyway."

Sally opened her mouth to say something, but chose not to. Probably for the best anyway. She was going to apologise, but would that actually cause more problems than it'd fix? Bit of a pickle, you're in, Sally Jackson.

Instead, she walked up to the door and slipped off her shoes. Then she walked into the master bedroom to watch rom-coms. Slowly closing the door, she flopped back on the bed and rubbed her hands over her face. Oh well. TV time. It was her hobby. No work,  
or anything? Binge either rom-coms or sit-coms. Big Bang Theory? Sure. Everybody Loves Raymond? Already on it.

Percy meanwhile, walked into the kitchen and glanced around the fridge. Nothing much. He could probably whip together a quick burger and some salad? Yeah, that'll do. He'll go shopping tomorrow after trials.

The heat of the pan reached his face and caused a drop of sweat to fall as he cracked on with the salad. Chopping away at vegetables, the events of that conversation just rung throughout his mind.

"Get to his level. He's got a girlfriend. Do you have one?"

Nah. He'd wallow in self pity later. He had a patty to grill right now.

* * *

The stars twinkled and shimmered in the sky as a blonde girl looked out of her second storey window.

Headphones disconnected her from the rest of the world. Standing up from her white sheets, she walks over to her window and places her elbows on the window sill. The breeze flutters over her and she glances back to the clock on her bed-side table.

Hmm. 8 o'clock. Nothing to do, really. Homework, check. Already browsed Tumblr and YouTube for about 3 hours. Friends are probably asleep knowing them. Already had dinner. My room is spotless. Laundry is drying. Might have an early turn in. Nah. That's  
boring.

The powerful bass notes of Panic! At The Disco's 'LA Devotee' blasted through her ears and she smiled softly as she just rested there.

"Annabeth! Can you help me with this question! I still don't know how to do quadratic formula!"

Chuckling softly, she walked towards the door. "Alright, Matt. I'll help you." Opening her bedroom door revealed a blonde 13-year-old standing there with a piece of paper in his right hand.

Annabeth walked downstairs with him into his bedroom as she began to discuss discriminants with her younger brother and he dutifully took down notes.

Such was the Chase household. Their father, Frederick watched with a content smile on his face. As Annabeth pointed to something on his worksheet, he walked past the door way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.

Finally, Annabeth finished helping her brother out, ("I think I got it now!" "Are you sure? You don't look sure.") she walked over to the lounge room and plopped herselfdown on the large recliner.

It did pay to have a father working at a university. Good pay, plus he just has to research things. So, he doesn't have to leave the house and come back at the crack of dawn. Their step mother was most likely also working at her accounting firm, typing  
away and printing out records for her clientele.

Playing around with a PS4 controller, she considered the pros and cons of turning it on. She'd most likely be shouted at by her younger for brothers for touching their stuff, but she was immensely bored. Life just didn't challenge her.

She sat there, contemplating why nothing was a challenge. It used to be that she could ask her dad for something to do or look online. Maybe a trivia quiz or a crossword in a newspaper. But eventually, she grew weary of stretching her brain's logical  
components. She often found that whilst she did excel at academics and things that involved algorithmic components or patterns, she couldn't help but feel like another side of her wasn't being challenged.

Her emotional side. Sure, you could do a thousand crosswords and know everything there is to know in the world. But if you can't talk to another human being, why bother being a part of society at all?

She wasn't incompetent, but she could definitely be better. Boys would often come up to her and ask how her day was going or how she was. And she'd respond with something robotic or a statement too encrypted for them to understand. It wasn't like she  
was doing it on purpose, that was just how she grew up. Her father was a university professor who would often sit in his study late at night, mumbling about complex historical hierarchies and events in preparation for his next lecture. And thus, she'd  
pick up on words that she would think people used in normal conversation. At the age of 7, she could fully implement words like 'subordinate' into her conversations, leaving her friends scratching their head. That never got old.

Maybe she should make a Google Translate function for 'Annabeth Chase-ese'. Or at least a dictionary.

As 30 minutes breezed by with her just contemplating things, she walked back upstairs to for her daily 8-hour kip.

But before she did, she quickly showered, changed, brushed her teeth and turned all of the upstairs lights off. Not like anyone else would be coming up anyway. It was only her room and a guest bedroom upstairs, so there was no reason to keep them on.  
Plus, keeping them on continuously damages the environment. Fact.

Her phone suddenly vibrated and shook in her back pocket. "going 2 tryouts 2 cheer on bae, come with?"

"Really, you're asking me this now? Come on, it's approximately 8:30 pm with the tryouts on the proceeding day."

"u rly need to like stop using big words and yes im asking u now r u coming or not"

"What? Approximately? That's not a 'big word'."

"no I meant tryouts of course I meant approximately u big nerd and btw im picking u up 2morrow at 930 am whether u like it or not haha"

Typical Thalia. Didn't need consent. She'd just show up, smooth talk your parents and before you could even say no, you'd be in the backseat of a silver Lexus.

Oh well. At least she'd have plans for tomorrow. She was planning on scrolling through Tumblr all morning, but screw that. This could be productive.

Heading to bed, she snuggled herself within her sheets and turned off the lights.

The warmth of her blanket and her fatigue invaded her brain as she fell asleep.

 **A/N: Bit of a short chapter, this one. New story, gonna be a Mortal AU. Was a bit of a rushed chapter… Soz 'bout that.**

 **I think this'll be my second priority, right now my No.1 priority is my other story. Gonna update this as frequently as possible. Long weekend is coming up for us Aussies, so expect one or two new chapters by then.**

 **As always, R &R.**

 **Cheers,  
SecondComing02**


End file.
